Training in Teams

Thank you all for your support in my training for the Solvang Century through Team in Training.

How's it going?

This training season kicked off with a bumpy start: some great rides, then a trip to Colorado with no riding, back in time to ride out before getting a cold. I continued training with the cold, until I pushed it too far on a training ride and needed to recoup.

We're back on track, though. Training for time has added components of improving my time in the saddle. This includes making sure to get on the bike every other day, using a heart rate monitor to track my exertion and improve lactic acid flushing. There's a huge ego component of this training--people getting competitive with each other, putting added expectations and it's far more enjoyable when I ignore all of that and just enjoy the ride and celebrate the little victories: feeling healthy and strong at the end of a ride, getting out of the saddle sooner, being able to talk and tell stories, sing and encourage others.

Cycling comes fairly naturally to me. I love it. And it's easy to get lazy. Training for time has added a new challenge to commit to being on the bike and making training a priority.

We can't take being healthy for granted. Riding in honor of the father of a six year old, of the three year receiving chemo treatments, riding in hopes of our children not knowing the heart-rending pain of losing loved ones to these diseases makes every spin worth while. Thank you for your support. I'll be updating here regularly.